


Tooth and Tail: KASHA

by Sticky_Vicky



Category: Tooth and Tail (Video Game)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 15:38:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12867687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sticky_Vicky/pseuds/Sticky_Vicky
Summary: Following the life of Kasha, The Farmhand, as she experienced the horror and tragedy of civil war.





	Tooth and Tail: KASHA

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all. This will be my first work I put up online. Please give criticism and I hope you enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Just a quick note to say please give criticism! Thank you!

Kasha rolls the 30-06 round in her hand, marveling its shape. Flat-tipped with a gold-colored cartridge, it reflects the afternoon sun brilliantly. She slides the bullet back into the rifle and closes the bolt, resting the gun in her lap. She flips her grey hood back onto her head and unbuttons the top two buttons of her blue shirt, trying to alleviate some of the suns heat. It doesn't help that She decided to wear her dark wool pants. 

Sitting on the sloped roof of the two-story house gave Kasha the best view of the farm. The grain surrounded the house and stretched onto the hill away towards the surrounding forest, like a rising wave of molten gold. The swine workers moved about the field harvesting the wheat. This years harvest was the best the farm ever had. The abundance was unusual, especially with the rest of the country starving. 

Kasha was thankful for the bounty. If the rumors she hears back in town are true, the cities are slowly becoming slaughterhouses. Starving animals stealing and fighting one another for precious food, some going so far as to kill whole families for their meat. She silently thanked Varvara's parents for building the farm so far away from the cities. 

The two attic Windows swing open, breaking Kasha out of her thoughts. Another Fox steps out onto the roof, taking care not to slip off. She reaches back inside and balances a yellow breakfast tray holding a pitcher of water and glass cups. Her gray and white fur is abnormal to the red and white coloring that most Foxes this region have. She wears Her old farming clothes, a plain short sleeve shirt with grey wool pants. Her bright blue eyes lock onto Kasha. 

"Hey, Vivi" The red Fox greets Varvara with her pet name. Varvara smiles back, a rare sight for anyone other than Kasha. 

"Hey. I brought you some water. The ice melted a while ago, but it was kept inside, so it should still be cool." Varvara says, sitting next to Kasha and serving the both of them water. Kasha drinks greedily, more thirsty than she thought. 

"Busy day?" Kasha asks. Finishing her own glass, Varvara heaves a sigh of relief. "It's been busy enough. The swine have been looking over their shoulder all day. I almost had to punish Swine 08 for refusing to work the south fields. They don't want to get killed and eaten like 03. The only thing from keeping them from a full-blown panic is you." Varvara says scooting closer to Kasha.

"It's hard not to be paranoid nowadays. It's been what, two, three days since the last couple of starving animals tried to steal our swine. They've been getting bolder, and mark my words Vivi, one of these days they won't turn and run from my warning shots, they're going to come charging down the hill right at us and we're going to have to defend ourselves or else..."

Kasha looks at the gristmill a short distance away towards the east. Like a normal mill it is powered by wind, but there is a massive difference between the two. Regular mills turn wheat into grain, but gristmills turn animals into meat.

"I need another set of eyes, these attacks are getting way too frequent. You remember how to shoot, yes? You can use my old rifle, maybe we can save up enough money to get you a newer rifle like mine."

Varvara lowers her head and stares at her fidgeting hands.  
" Well I'm pretty rusty, so I think I should stick with your old rifle. I haven't fired a gun since Konstantine taught me how."

Hearing her father's name, Kasha winces as her last memory of him resurfaces.  
" But even then, I don't think I could ever... kill anyone"

"With luck, you won't have to. I just need another gun with me to make them think twice about attacking us. We'll watch each other's backs and make sure they don't hurt us." Kasha says putting her paw on Varvara shoulder. But Varvara wasn't looking at Kasha. Her eyes scanned the southern fields

"What are you looking at?" 

"I can't find the swine." 

She followed Varvaras gaze to the field. The wheat swayed ever so slightly with the wind. There was no sign of the worker.

"Could he have gone back inside?" The concern apparent In Kasha voice.

"No, we would have seen him. "

Kasha shoulders her rifle and peers down the scope, scanning the field for any sign of the missing worker. A reflection catches her eye. Close to the edge of the forest, the wheat is crushed under and a large crimson line leads back into the forest. 

"Ring the alarm bell and move everyone into the attic. Lock the doors and stay quiet." Kasha commands. Varvara shoots off like a dart, letting the yellow tray slide off the roof and crash onto the ground below. Kasha pulls the bolt back on the rifle, making sure it's loaded. Seeing the metal bullet shines back at her, She pushes the round back in and shoulders the rifle.

She scans each field, scrutinizing every inch of the flowing grain before she moves her sight to the next field. She can see the swine running back to the house, their bodies glistening with sweat. 

"Kasha!" Varvara shouts 

"We have 11 out of 12, swine 8 is missing!"

"Get back inside, lock the doors behind you." Kasha shouts back.  
She hears the door slam shut. 

 

The grain fields lie empty now. It seems like time sits still, no wind, no sound, nothing at all as she searches for any sign of intruders. 

Movement. She finally finds them. Four separate lines, like sharks swimming through the ocean, creep through the wheat. The shadows give Kasha a silhouette of a pack of chameleons.

The trench gang is comprised almost entirely of chameleons, with their natural ability to change into almost any color and wielding clubs, they are masters of hit and run tactics. They are colored like the gold of the wheat surrounding them, slowly stalking towards the farmhouse.

She considers giving them a warning shot. The blood of the swine flashes in her mind. She knows what they are here for, and what they will do to get it. Kasha lines up her scope on the biggest chameleon. Five shots, four targets. She slowly exhales and presses down on the trigger.

Her rifle roars, kicking her in the shoulder. She sees his large body collapse like a bag of bricks. His friends are shocked, all of them breaking concentration and returning to their natural color of green. Kasha works the bolt, ejecting the spent casing and reloading the next round. 

The chameleons switch back to gold and virtually vanish within the grain.They spread out, sprinting for their lives towards the house.Kasha re-sights on the nearest chameleon and fires. Dirt kicks up behind him. As Kasha chambers her next round, the chameleons reach the door. Finding it locked they kick at it.

Kasha moves to the edge of the roof and aims down. The chameleon looks straight at Kasha as she fires. He stumbles backwards, clutching its face, before falling into the dirt.

His friends break open the door

"Rush 'em!" Kasha hears one of the chameleon's shouts. Kasha runs back to the attic windows. The faces of the swine peer out at her, crowding the window.  
" Move out of the way!" Kasha yells at them. Kasha lifts the rifle above her head, moving through the crowded swine. She hears something slam against the door and Varvara shriek. 

"Move!" Kasha screams again. 

The swine scatter away from the angered vixen. Kasha sees Varvara bracing against the door. They lock eyes.

"Kasha" Is all Varvara is able to get out before the door explodes off the hinge, throwing Varvara against the wall. The first chameleon enters and grabs Varvara by the throat before tossing her down the stairs. The second enters the room and looks at Kasha, trying to reload her rifle.

"I'll kill you, you bitch!" he roars as he charged her. Kasha fires from the hip, striking the chameleon in the middle of his chest. Blood gushes forth and he cries out in agony, trying to stem the flow of blood. The last chameleon, hearing his dying friend and thinking quickly, throws his club at Kasha. It hits her snout, She feels something break and blood gushing forth. She stumbles backward into the squealing pigs, dropping her rifle.

She feels the chameleons scaly hands grab her shirt and lift her into the air. Kasha lashes out with her claws, feeling them sink into the chameleon's flesh. He screams and throws her across the room away from the pigs. She lands on her back, the breath knocked out of her body. She tries to get back on her feet, but the chameleon responds with a punch that has Kasha seeing white and sends her back into the ground. She feels his hands on her throat. She tries to pry them off. Her strength fails and his grip tightens. She desperately strikes out with her claws again, leaving three bleeding slashes across the chameleon's face. Leaving one hand on her throat, the chameleon shows Kasha the power of its right hook. Once, twice, three times pain explodes across her face, nearly knocking her unconscious. She can taste the coppery blood in her mouth. He pins her arms under his legs, preventing her from attacking back. Kasha sees stars burst in her eyes, everything slowly getting dark.

Varvara screams. Kasha sucks in air and hacks violently. Though her fast swelling eye, Kasha can see Varvara has bitten down on the back of the chameleon's neck and is stabbing at him with a kitchen knife. The chameleon tries to slam Varvara off by knocking both of them into walls. In a desperate bid for survival, the chameleon jumps up and falls into his back, breaking Varvaras deadly grip. He rolls off of her and hobbles toward the door, blood flowing out of him like a river. Varvara is back on him in a flash. The last thing Kasha sees before darkness falls over her is Varvara and the chameleon struggling for the knife before both tumbling down the staircase.  
\-----------------------------------

Kasha slowly drags herself from darkness, the pain in her face giving her the reassurance of being alive. She opens her left eye, but her right stays firmly shut, black from the swelling. she can taste copper in her mouth, and one of her back teeth are missing. 

Sitting up on her elbows she is relieved to be on her bed in the room She shares with her sister, instead of the alternative. A slow death inside of a kitchen, cooked and eaten. 

Kasha attempts to roll off her bed, but She collapses back down when the room spins. Moaning in agony, She lies down, defeated. 

A massive pink skinned swine opens the door, his chest large and fat from the grain harvest. " Are you awake Kasha? " his throaty voice reverberating throughout the room. Kasha weakly waves at him.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he waddles into the room "Thank goodness. We thought he sent you into a coma. The rest of us are back in our room, by Varvaras command". He helps Kasha to a sitting position.

" Where is Vivi" 

The large swine face turns from A worried smile to a nervous grimace. 

"Well, She is alright, I think. Some of the other swine went down there to check if she was still alive. They came back upstairs stumbling over one another. They told us she had the eyes of a demon! She ordered them back upstairs and into our rooms. We pulled straws to choose who had to go back into the attic to see if you where alive" He chuckled

"I think you can guess who lost. I put you on your bed and I've been checking up on you every so often. "

"Help me up. I need to see Vivi"

He leans in close, his voice shaking like an earthquake

"You don't want to go down there Kasha. It's a bloodbath."

"Take me to her now" 

Something in Kashas usual sweet voice told the swine to obey her. Her legs shaking, She leans on the enormous swines body. Step by step, they slowly walk to the door and away from the comfort of the room. 

The hallway looked like a painting of the cursed river Phlegethon. The walls had splatters of blood on them and parts of the floor was slippery with a trail of blood leading downstairs. Kashas heart began to beat faster, the hairs on the back of her neck stood. Just what had happened here, Kasha wondered.

The staircase was worse to traverse, having become slippery with either Varvaras blood or the chameleon. The swine had to half drag half carry Kasha down so she wouldn't slip. Once they had gone down the stairs and looked upon the destruction of the living room, the halls and stairs looked clean.

The long table where the swine ate was split in half, the long blue rug Kasha loved was polka-dotted with tiny droplets of blood, Varvaras bookshelves spilled out their contents. And in the middle of it, all was the Vixen herself. Sitting one of the few surviving wooden chairs and facing away from the two, She looked like a redder Kasha so covered in blood she was. She breathed shallow and hard, her whole body trembled. In front of her was the body of the chameleon, who looked more like a pile of gore than a chameleon. 

Kasha pushes herself away from the swine, who was too terrified to do much of anything and stumbles toward her sister. 

"Vivi" Kasha croaks, gently laying her paw on Varvaras shoulder. She can feel her sister tense at her touch. Varvara looks at Kasha with a distant expressionless look. Taking a knee, Kasha looks into Varvara eyes.

"It's ok Vivi. It's over, you did it." Kasha says in a gentle voice.

A crack in Varvaras visage showed Kasha a scared young vixen but is replaced with the expressionless mask Varvara has mastered through the years. Kasha hugs her sister but pulls back when Varvara yelps in pain. Varvara groans and clutches her ribs. 

"I think he broke something" Vivi chokes out through gritted teeth. 

Gently helping her sister to her feet, Kasha leads the both of them passed the frozen pig. 

"Get the rest of the swine started on cleaning this mess and take the bodies to the gristmill, we will prepare them for eating in the morning. Go out in pairs and if anything happens, I'll be taking care of Vivi in our room." Kasha commands as she passes the frozen swine. He nods, making sure to keep a healthy distance away from the two sisters. Finishing the difficult climb back up the stairs, Kasha sees the rest of the swine peek out from their room, but they quickly close the door upon seeing Varvara. 

By the time they enter their room, Kasha leans heavily on Varvara, her head pounding and the room spinning. They crash onto the bed together. 

Kasha gives herself time to get back her bearings. Varvara keeps her arms wrapped around her chest, trying to calm her breathing. It takes a Herculean effort for Kasha to get off of the embrace of the soft bed to find her little medical box. She opens the closet and digs through some of her old quilts until she finds the little wooden box. Checking the contents reveals the bandages, scissors, and medical salves purchased from the town doctor, A kindly old boar names Vicktor. 

"Ok Vivi, lift your arms as high as they will go" Kasha gently commands. Varvara winces and raised her arms. She can only get as high as her head. She looks like a drowned animal with her arms hanging in front of her. Kasha wrestles the shirt off her sisters head, tossing the bloody cloth away. The blood is dry and has clumped up her fur. Cutting away some of the fur away, She reveals the black and bruised skin of Varvaras injury. She continues cutting until a black book sized bruise is revealed. She rubs the salve on the ugly wound and wraps bandages around Varvaras chest.

"Fortunately nothing looks broken, just bruising. You're going to have one hell of a time doing anything for a while. We should still see Vicktor tomorrow. "

"Thank you, Kasha. You should get some rest. You look terrible."

Kasha smiles and snorts, but the dull pain she still felt on her face told her that Varvara was right. 

"One of us still needs to watch the swine."

"I can"

Kasha barks out a laugh. "You can barely raise your arms above your head, there is no way you can hold a rifle, let alone handle the recoil. How long has it been since you held a rifle hmm?" Kasha says raising her voice slightly. 

" And there isn't any way you can shoot right now. Don't think I didn't notice how hard it was for you to get back up here. You need the rest, I can wake you up if anything happens. And let's be honest, If there where more trench gangers, we would already be dead. "

They stare at one another hard. Kasha sees the determination in her eyes, but She can also see the fear, hear the pain every time Varvara took a shallow breath. Kasha opened her mouth to argue, but another wave of pain stabs at her face. Worry ties knots in her chest, but she knows her sister is right. 

"Fine. Take my rifle at the least, should still be in the attic. If anything the noise of shooting will wake me up."

"Get some rest Kasha"

Kasha lays a hand on Varvara shoulder, giving her a small squeeze. Varvara looks at Kasha with those scared eyes once again. 

"Be safe, Vivi." 

Varvara leans into her sister and embraces her. Kasha returns the hug, careful not to hurt her ribs again. A quick moment passes and it's like Kasha is looking into a mirror. They are so similar. Sometimes she forgets that she and Varvara aren't blood-related. People have mistaken them for sisters on more than one occasion. Sisters separated by blood. A strange fate to be sure.

Kasha rubs some of the salves on her face. She removed the rest of her bloody clothes and gets dressed in cleaner, more comfortable clothes. She makes a mental note to wash the blood off of themselves and their clothes tomorrow morning before they see Vicktor. She closed her eyes and the darkness reclaims her in a blissful, dreamless sleep. 

\---  
She awakes to the sun high in the sky, well past the time she normally wakes up. Groggy, but no longer dizzy, She hurries out of her bed and out the door. The hallway and stairs look like no battle had ever happened, and going downstairs reveal that Kashas rug has been tossed out with the broken table, and Varvaras bookshelves are back up, only with A few books missing. Stepping outside, the swine work in close proximity to the house, every once in a while looking up from their work to glance at the forest. 

Walking over to the closest swine, a small runt, She clears her throat to grab his attention.

"Where is Vivi" 

He grunts and points to the roof. Kasha sees Varvara facing away from her, looking towards the north field. Going back to the house is a breeze, Kasha feeling like a whole new vixen.

Opening the twin windows Kasha drinks in the warm sunlight for a moment before stepping out onto the roof. Varvara doesn't react. She has cleaner clothes on, the dry blood still clings to her, matting her hair.

"Hey, Vivi." Kasha chirps, sitting next to her sister. 

No response

"Did you see anything?" 

Her sister shakes her head. A moment of silence passes. A small wind blows by, Kasha can feel the whispered chill of autumn. A great sense of foreboding washes over her. She only felt it this strong once, before a long, brutal winter.

"Well, we should get both of us cleaned up before we see Vicktor. How about we go down to the river, Today seems like a perfect day for a swim!" Kasha says smiling at her sister, turning her thoughts away from those terrible memories. She walks back to the window, but Varvara doesn't move. Kasha recognizes the look on Varvara. It's the same look her father got whenever he talked about the Old War.

" Vivi? " 

Varvara slowly rises like she is dazed, refusing to look at Kasha. Kasha knows this look all too well. She needs time to talk with her sister. 

Walking past the swine, Kasha says that they are done for the day. The swine look at both sisters with puzzled looks. The large swine rally them to pack up their tools and head inside.  
\---------  
The river moves lazily today, the sun shines down through the clear water, illuminating all of the dark, smooth stones of the riverbed. Breathing in deep kasha can smell the moss, an intoxicating scent she forgot she loved. She smiles at Varvara, who doesn't return the gesture. 

"Alright Vivi, need any help with your shirt"

Varvara shakes her head, slowly removing the garment. Kasha follows suit and soon they both enter the refreshing river. Once the river water is up to her waist, Kasha begins to scrub herself from head to toe, removing the blood that accumulated on herself. The water turns light pink and soon drifts away. 

"Damn it" Kasha hears Varvara mutter. The silver fox has cleaned the majority of her body, but there was still some stained on her back. Every time she tried to reach back her ribs protested, and she whimperes in pain. 

"Need some help?"  
"Please"

Kasha wades through the water to help her sister. Scrubbing her back gently, the red fur slowly turns back into its natural silver shade, the water surrounding them becoming pink once more, but slowly drifting away. 

 

"What was it like ?" Varvara asks breaking the silence.

" What do you mean? "

"To kill for the first time?"

Kasha stops cleaning, leaving her hands to rest on her sisters back. Her mind is taken back five years ago, months after her mother died and weeks after Varvara left to claim her birthright. She was alone at her home, making food for her only family member left, her father. The door crashed, A masked intruder broke inside. Running into her father's room and locking the door behind her. She tore her father's rifle from the wall.

 

"I felt fear. when he came through that door I saw his eyes, full of hate. I saw his last breath. I felt sick cleaning his skull fragments off the floor. I felt guilty. And I will never get those eyes out from my head." emotions threaten to overcome Kasha, but she swallows back, staying strong for her sister. " But I knew it had to be done. If I hadn't he would have tried killed me, Just like that Bastard that gave me this" She says pointing to her still swollen eye

"If you hadn't killed that chameleon he would have killed me, then you, then the swine. He would have gone and killed others too. You not only saved yourself, but you saved me and so many others. These are desperate times for everyone, and if we're seeing the trench gang so far out of the city, things must be worse than I feared. Once we see Vicktor and get better, we'll practice shooting together. Maybe one day you'll be as good as me!" Kasha says laughing. 

But Varvara wasn't laughing. She sniffles, wiping a tear away. But like a dam, her mask crumbles, all of the fear and anxiety and sadness bursting forth. Spinning to face her sister, She lays Her emotions bare to then only one She trusts. It's is Kasha gift and Her curse. 

"Oh Kasha, It's only going to get worse, isn't it?" she buries her face in her hands and harshly sobs. " What are we going to do? " 

"We prepare. Remember what our mother said to us? Before the civilized took her to the feast. She

"'Prepare, my daughters. The world is only going to get darker. It will be hard and harsh. You must stay together.' and so, that is what we'll do. I'll help you with marksmanship and together we can protect this farm. We will survive, Varvara. together"

Varvara hugs Kasha, her sobbing into her shoulder. Kasha gently embraces her crying sister. They would get strong together. they would survive. 

Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! If you have made it this far I hope you enjoyed my story! Once again, please give criticism. Thank you!


End file.
